Interests

Marilyn enjoys all sorts of entertainment. She is the very proud parent of three amazing young adults and a fluffy dog. Marilyn has also recently enjoyed a whole-food, plant-based diet and loves researching nutrition and experimenting with cooking.

Education

Certificates

Content Marketing for B2B Enterprises
Udemy
4/19/2015
This course covered every step in the content marketing process. It specifically targeted capturing leads and converting leads via inbound marketing. This included generating ideas, "stacking" content, publishing, promoting, and measuring returns. Even though it is a B2B content marketing class, it could also apply to consumer content marketing.

Experience Summary

Projects by Industry

Insurance

Experience
Marilyn K worked as a licensed life insurance, annuity, and health insurance agent for over four years. She still works with some of her old brokerages to produce quality insurance content for their websites. This content helps educate potential and existing clients and generates new insurance leads. Marilyn understand the details of the ACA, Medicare, and many other insurance programs.
Marilyn has been extensively published on a variety of insurance topics:
Does Your Family Qualify for a Health Insurance Subsidy?
How Does Health Reform Impact Medicare?
No Exam Life Insurance for Seniors
A Life Insurance Guide: Universal vs. Term vs. Whole Life
Annuities: A Safe Money Solution
The Basics of Structured Settlements

Construction

Experience
Marilyn K has worked for a company that produces content for construction and commercial dumpster rental companies and water damage and mold companies. She has also written sales pages for a flooring company that markets "green" flooring products. Other related topics that Marilyn had written about include construction loans, inspections, and more.
Her specialty is writing consumer articles that advocate projects that will improve home and business energy efficiency. She can proudly state that she has performed some DIY home wiring, flooring, and plumbing tasks around her home, so she can provide useful tips.

Software

Experience
MK has a BBA with a concentration in computer and business analysis, and she worked as a software developer and systems analyst for over 20 years. She has also written on many topics in this field, and these topics include common content management systems, programming for the Internet, APIs, shopping cart software, SaaS, cloud storage, phone operating systems, content management systems, and more. Marilyn K can target articles to software users, developers, and IT professionals.
Example topics:
Should You Choose an IOS or Android Operating System for Your First App?
Writing Your First WordPress Plugin
Consider Five Magento Extensions to Customize Your eCommerce Website
Outsourcing vs. Hiring Software Professionals to Maintain Your Business Systems
Will You be Happier with an iPhone or Android Phone?
Is MySQL Powerful Enough for Your Business Database?
Oracle vs. MySQL Performance
Why is WordPress so Popular as a Content Management Solution?
The Five WordPress Plugins You Need to Know About

Finance

Experience
Besides having the experience of taking finance classes in college and working as a licensed insurance agent for both families and companies, Marilyn has written many articles about personal finance and small business finance. She successfully completed these articles with a combination of authority research and personal experience from running a small business.
She has done extensive research on ways that small businesses might obtain funding through both traditional and alternative financing sources. For instance, Marilyn can compare bank loans, SBA backing, different kinds of online lenders, investors, factoring, and so on.
Marilyn K is also a coin collector, and her hobby has led to writing assignments about numismatics and collecting. She also writes about investing in gold, silver, and other precious metals. Most recently, Marilyn has begun working with digital currency platforms, so she's a good recourse for content about blockchain tech, Bitcoin, and other alternative currencies and platforms.
These are some examples of work that Marilyn K has completed:
Where to Find Copies of Tax Returns and Transcripts
Is Bitcoin a Currency or an Asset?
How Will Blockchain Tech Change Business?
How to Turn Digital Currency to Money You Can Spend
The Best Strategies to Pay Down Debt
How to Transfer Debt for Lower Interest Rates
Alternative Small Business Financing Strategies
Alternatives to Traditional Debt Consolidation
The Basics of Gold IRAs
Investing in Bullion vs. Rare Coins

Health

Experience
Marilyn K has a variety of different types of experience in producing engaging content related to health. Some examples of her work include:
Will Exercise or Dieting Help You Lose Weight?
How Does the Affordable Care Act Change Health Insurance for Your Family?
Surprising Things That Make People Gain Weight
How to Lose Weight Without Starving
Is Produce Nature's Fountain of Youth?
How to Keep Homes Safe for the Elderly

Real Estate

Experience
Marilyn K has successfully completed a number of different types of real estate projects. Some of these described cities and geographic locations for home buyers who might consider moving to an area. Other articles dealt with financial aspects of buying a new house, and these include mortgages, hard money loans, and homeowners insurance. Some of Marilyn's real estate articles focus on financial aspects of already owning a house, and these include home equity loans, making a home more energy efficient, and remodeling projects.

Marketing

Experience
Marilyn has been running her own websites for over a decade, and to be successful, she needed to develop SEO, content marketing, and social networking skills. In fact, she achieved her initial success with inbound marketing before it had become as critical as it is today. She also ran a life and health insurance business for four years and developed skills to promote a brick and mortar business.
Besides writing about offline and online marketing for clients, her education in statistics helps her understand marketing research and big data. She is also a popular choice with clients who offer marketing software and marketing SAAS.

Business

Experience
Marilyn has a business degree from the University of Texas at Austin, a top business school. She spent 20 years working for Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies as a systems and business analyst, and she has also successfully run her own small business as a website owner and freelance content provider. As an insurance agent, she worked with many small and medium businesses to provide health benefits and tax advantages.
With both small business and corporate experience, she can bring her own experience and her research skills to your writing project.
These are examples of Marilyn's business article titles:
Business You Can Start on a Shoestring Budget
Alternative Ways to Raise Capital for a Small Business
Get Your Foot in the Door at Your Dream Job
Can Business Debit Cards Help Your Company Manage Employee Expenses Better?
Outsourcing vs. Employing IT Professionals
Explode Local Business with Smart Social Networking

Web Development

Experience
Besides writing, Marilyn also develops websites for small business clients, and she has run her own successful websites that generated income with advertising revenues. She understands the basics of web development with HMTL, JavaScript, PHP, and MYSQL, and she also has experience with popular content management systems like WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal.
Recently, Marilyn K took the time to develop her first WordPress plugin. This took skill with MySQL, PHP, and the WordPress API. She gives this plugin away for free from one of her own websites.
Some example article titles include:
WordPress vs. Joomla vs. Drupal
Seven WordPress Plugins Your Local Business Site Needs
How to Turn WordPress into a Directory with Free Plugins
Content Manage Systems or Code Your Own
Why You Need a Responsive Website
Five Improvements You Need to Make to Your Business Website

Green Living

Experience
Marilyn has written a lot of energy conservation articles. Some of these have been targeted to the U.S. and the U.K. Others are general articles that would apply to home owners anywhere on the planet.
These are some Green Living topics that Marilyn K has written:
Is Solar Energy Affordable for Homeowners and Small Businesses?
The Future of Renewable Energy: Wind vs. Solar
Is Climate Change Inevitable?
7 Reasons to Become a Vegan or Vegetarian

Fitness

Experience
Marilyn K is very interested in the ways that sleep, regular exercise, and a natural and healthy diet can help people stay fit, particularly into middle age and senior years. She has studied yoga, karate, been an avid bike rider, and enjoys walking her dog.

High Tech

Experience
Marilyn's background as a computer system developer and analyst give her a good foundation to write about all sorts of high tech devices. She has written extensively about content management systems, popular shopping cart software, SaaS, cloud storage, and smart phones. She has also written for audiences of technology professionals about big data, storage, and more.

Hobby

Experience
Marilyn K enjoys collecting coins and has completed a number of articles about numismatics, or coin collecting, for high-profile coin and precious metal dealers. She also writes about the use of gold and silver coins in IRAs. Marilyn enjoys cooking and camping, and she can add her own personal touch to these fascinating topics.
Even though this isn't always a hobby topic, Marilyn also has diverse experience writing about both precious and base metals.

Green Products

Experience
Marilyn K is very interested in the environment and any steps that average people can take to reduce their energy bills, fuel consumption, and carbon footprint. She is also interested in the steps that businesses and governments take to promote and invest in clean and renewable energy. Some topics that she has written about include green plastics and alternative energy for the home.

Technology

Experience
Marilyn K loves keeping up with advances in technology, mostly related to connectivity, big data, emerging technology, cyber security, eCommerce, and the IoT. She has worked with communications, real estate, software, and of course, marketing companies to explore ways that new technology can benefit them and their customers.
If you want a versatile tech writer, you're likely to be happy with Marilyn's work. She can write for audiences from consumers to CTOs. She is often called upon to explore tech trends and forecasts as they relate to specific industries.

Home Living

Experience
Marilyn K can write about home living with the authoritative voice of somebody who has been both a homeowner and a renter. All sorts of real estate and home improvement companies have relied upon Marilyn for engaging blog posts or articles that interest consumers and B2B partners.
She is proud to say that she has completed several DIY home wiring, flooring, decor, landscaping, painting, and plumbing projects around her own house successfully, so she's a good source of useful tips. Of course, she's also overseen professional repairs and remodeling.
These are some examples of the sort of topics Marilyn has tacked for Home Living:
-- Types of Flooring for Flood-Prone Areas
-- Creative Ways to Maximize Space in Small Homes
-- 7 Reasons to Choose Tile Flooring
-- Inexpensive and Durable Hardwood Floor Alternatives

Banking

Experience
Marilyn K has considerable experience writing about different aspects of the banking industry. She has written about many different types of loans, and these include mortgages, mortgage refinancing, home equity loans, personal credit, and even non-bank hard money loans. She has also written articles which described and compared both traditional and ROTH IRAs. Marilyn has also enjoyed writing about credit unions, the Small Business Administration, and community financing.
Besides personal loans, Marilyn K is a go-to writer for clients with topics about a variety of different kinds of business loans. Topics include bank loans, the SBA, business credit cards, online lenders, merchant cash advances, alternative financing, P2P funding, and even pawn shops. She also has written about factoring (invoice) loans, but she understands these are not actually loans. Marilyn K is quite adept at comparing business loan alternatives and highlighting the advantages of one choice over another.
A bit off topic, she has also written regular blog posts for a major coin dealer because she has an interest in coin collecting.She's also familiar with digital currency and blockchain.

Search Marketing

Experience
Marilyn K has both written about search marketing and conducted search marketing campaigns for her own projects. She knows that today's search marketing campaigns don't just include the main search engines for Google, Bing, and Yahoo! They also could include Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, other social sites, and even Amazon or eBay. Certainly, local search is its own very large niche within search marketing, so mobile search even Google Maps have been topics that Marilyn's clients have requested.

Career

Experience
Marilyn K has completed several different types of career-related projects. She has also helped successful job seekers develop both online and offline resumes to help them catch the attention of employers and recruiters.
She really enjoys writing about the future of careers in green energy production. Actually, Marilyn K likes to explore the potential of many different types of careers.

Science

Experience
Marilyn K does not pretend to be a professional scientist, but she does enjoy watching Cosmos and scanning popular science websites that discuss everything from the evolution of mankind to warnings about climate change. She also enjoys science fiction.

Education

Experience
Marilyn taught relational database classes in a technical school, and these classes were accepted for credit by some colleges. She had to be certified by the state to teach these classes as they could be paid for by VA, federal, or state grants. She has also graduated from college and is in the process of helping kids go to college, so she is familiar with both the educational and financial aspects of higher education. Plus, she has a lot of experience with public education from K through 12th grade.
Marilyn K has written articles on a variety of educational topics. These range from news about research to online schools and online opportunities for teachers.

Staffing

Experience
Marilyn K has written for the staffing industry in a number of different ways. Because of her IT experience, she is popular with IT staffing companies. However, she also has written about attracting and motivating Millennial workers and other human resource topics for staffing consultants and firms.
Marilyn K can write for almost any audience in the staffing industry, from the CEO to the general public. Many clients ask Marilyn to write about tech or economic trends and then relate them back to staffing needs.

Craft

Experience
Marilyn K has had lots of crafting experience through the years. This experience with crafts includes ceramics, synthetic clay, sewing and needlework, 3D paintings, and even digital arts. She also has the experience of working in her family's fabric shop, so she's quite familiar with selling to crafters.
Besides Marilyn's experience as a crafter, she has also written on a variety of craft topics. These include quilting, polymer clay, and much more.

Food

Experience
Marilyn has recently begun to enjoy a whole-food and plant-based diet to improve her health, preserve the environment, and reduce animal cruelty. Her personal research into vegetarian, vegan, and plant-based diets makes her an enthusiastic writer and researcher for clients with similar interests.
She has previously composed blogs about such nutritional topics as problems with fad diets, supplements that vegans should consider taking, and how gut bacteria impacts health and mood.

Projects by SEO Skill

SEO Keyword Requirements

ExperienceMarilyn has completed many projects that require the use of keywords, phrases, LSI keywords, and synonyms. She works to weave the right words and phrases naturally into engaging content without overusing the same words so many times that it does not seem natural.

Title/Meta Descriptions

ExperienceMarilyn K understands that titles need to catch readers attention. Some clients also want keywords incorporated into these titles in order to catch the attention of search engines too. However, she knows that key words and phrases have to appear naturally.

Projects By Asset Type

Blog Post

ExperienceMarilyn K is a popular choice for bloggers. She has written hundreds of engaging blog posts on a variety of subjects. Common topics include insurance, alternative energy, baby boomers, and personal finance. Each blog usually has a different approach to content, and Marilyn K has been able to adapt her own style to the client's creative brief.

Article

ExperienceMarilyn K has written articles for hundreds of different clients. She always tries to craft engaging copy, and she employs introductions, conclusions, heading, and bullet points to make her copy easy to read online. She also understands proper sources of citations and research to create a credible and authoritative article.
With a background in business, insurance, and computer development, Marilyn is in demand for articles on topics related to these fields. She also has an interest in green energy, frugal living, health, and online publishing.

Web Page

ExperienceMarilyn builds websites for small business clients, and she has also run a number of her own successful websites to promote her business and earn money with advertising. Marilyn understands HTML, JavaScript, and popular content management systems. She also understands how writing for the web is different than writing for print. She understands web pages from a technical and a content standpoint, and that makes her a very versatile writer on this topic.

Newsletter Content

ExperienceMarilyn K is most proud of writing a series of green-themed newsletter articles to highlight famous people's ecology efforts and inform regular people what they can do to help.
She has also written newsletters for financial advisers and realtors that were intended to inform high-net-worth clients about different opportunities.

Copywriting

ExperienceMarilyn weaves some copywriting into most of her business content. While she may spend some time on features and benefits, Marilyn believes that the best copywriting tells a story and makes an emotional connection with readers. She knows that people don't always remember what is said, but they do remember how they felt about what is said!

White Paper

ExperienceMarilyn K has experience researching topics and presenting this cited research in a clear an unique way. One project that she recently worked on involved writing cited and researched information on the changes that the Affordable Care Act would create for individuals in all 50 states. She has also written researched articles on climate change, the value of collectable coins, and the differences between ROTH and traditional IRAs.

Presentation

ExperienceAs an insurance agent, Marilyn K developed and delivered her own live presentations for both life and health insurance products. She also helped other agents develop scripts for both group and 1-1 presentations. Since then, Marilyn K has written and edited presentations as a writer for insurance and other financial products.

eBook

ExperienceMarilyn K has helped many clients develop and write eBooks. Some clients sell these eBooks as products; however, they are very often used to entice people to sign up for an email subscription list. Marilyn K knows that eBooks can provide a very good value because some of the content might be pulled to reuse for blog posts, video scripts, and so on.
If eBooks are used as products or as promotional items, Marilyn K works with clients to create value for customers. For longer eBooks, it often helps to order eBooks a chapter at a time in order to fine tune the organization and the message.

Script/Video

ExperienceMarilyn K has worked with a large insurance brokerage to develop topics and scripts for local video marketing. She has also worked with a video marketing company to develop web page content about their services. Marilyn K understands the value of video marketing, and the art of developing a succinct and convincing script is a challenge that Marilyn K enjoys.

Book

ExperienceMarilyn K is the author of 3 novels. Her first novel has been in the top 100 paid list on Amazon.She has been a self-published author and had her novels published by a publisher, so she understand both aspects of the industry.
Marilyn K has lots of ideas for new books, and she hopes to find time to develop them in the future. She is currently working on a full-length book about social marketing for small businesses.

Projects By Profession

Research Writer

ExperienceMarilyn has had to research laws and insurance rules from credible sources in all 50 states. She has also researched tax rules, ways to save energy, and tactics to deal with health conditions or get more fit. She enjoys researching a variety of different topics. Researched projects are usually more interesting and fun to write.

Copywriter

ExperienceMarilyn K. understands that visitors come for the hook, but they stay for the content and buy because of the marketing copy. She knows that copy has to provide value in order to appeal to today's consumers too. With this in mind, she often weaves marketing copy in with informational content to provide a seamless experience for potential customers who visit a website or landing page because of inbound marketing campaigns. Clients also often ask Marilyn to provide social networking posts to her articles to complete the package.

Technical Writer

ExperienceMarilyn K worked in software development for over two decades. Because of this experience, she has a good grasp of most technical topics. She specializes in making complex technical topics simple. Marilyn prides herself on producing content for a specific audience. This audience could be CEOs, software developers, or end users with their cell phone apps. Marilyn has also written extensively about developments in printed circuit boards, 3D printing, and wearable tech.

Creative Writer

ExperienceMarilyn K has written three novels. Two of them have been published by a publisher, and they are now on sale in electronic and physical form. Marilyn K is always working on her next novel. She has also helped ghostwrite or simply produce a second draft out of other author's work. Marilyn K can help you if you are stuck or simply don't have time to produce a second draft from the first one.

Projects by Writing Style

Conversational

ExperienceMarilyn K always tries to match her writing style with her audience. Many clients have asked Marilyn K to compose her work in a conversational tone. Also, some clients ask Marilyn K to adjust her writing to a certain grade level, and she is willing and able to do this.

Promotional

ExperienceOf course, many clients want Marilyn K to write informative articles that subtly promote different products and services. These should engage readers, so they actually learn something. At the same time, these articles also help promote the site owner's products or services.

Authoritative

ExperienceMarilyn K has completed hundreds of informative and educational writing projects for a variety of different industries. The purpose of most of these authoritative projects was to help consumers understand complex products to help them make informed decisions. To accomplish this goal, the writing had establish itself as coming from an industry authority.

Projects by Company Size

Small Business

ExperienceMarilyn has written many articles for large companies and organizations, but most of her clients have been small businesses. She likes helping small businesses produce engaging content and get good value.

Fortune 500

ExperienceMarilyn has written articles for some large organizations. These are both non-profits and very profitable businesses. She also also worked for Fortune 100 companies with both online and offline businesses, and she understands corporate culture.

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